I love to go back to the homestead where I grew up just a couple miles from the little village known as Ono, PA. O'yes!
Last weekend I had the opportunity to do just that.
It all started when Dad and Mom picked me up at Harrisburg Int'l airport on Thursday afternoon. You have to know that Dad doesn't drive at the age of 85, not so much because of his age, but due to his Parkinson's. So, Mom (81) was driving and as she was driving by a particular road, Dad mentioned that we had just passed the more direct route home. But, of course, my Dad who grew up near Hershey knows all the back roads in the area, so we were fine. Twisting and turning, up and down rolling hills, (Mom says the PA roads either follow a creek or the cow paths, and I believe it) we ended up near Bachmansville where my Dad was born.
We stopped at Shenk's Church cemetery where my great and great-great grandparents are buried. Then only a few miles away we stopped at the mid-1800's red brick house where my parents lived in the early days of their marriage, and where I lived for the first 4.5 years of my life. It was once an inn for travelers.
That evening Mom and I took a walk to the farm, a familiar country road that takes a u-turn, crossing the bridge where I used to catch the bus.
Friday morning my brother, Bob, and I had breakfast up the road at the Farmer's Wife Restaurant. That night I had a great visit with my niece, Staci, at a local coffeehouse, MJ's, adjoining an old movie theater - one of the few single screen theaters left in central PA - in the neighboring town of Annville.
On Saturday my oldest brother and his wife invited me to go with them to the Bellegrove Fire Co. Carnival. Images came to mind of my Papa running the ring-toss booth and my Uncle Basil - fire chief at the time - calling out the numbers for Bingo. The June Saturday night carnivals have been going on since 1951, and I loved to go to them as a young girl and as a teenager. My cousin, Nats, and I would "work" for my Aunt Caroline in June, saving up our hard earned quarters to spend at the carnival.
One of the reason I went home was for the annual Patteson picnic, a gathering of my mom's side of the family. There were 74 of us. It was the first time in years that all 14 cousins were at the picnic. As the cameras were clicking we were all remembering family reunions in Virginia (where my mom's family comes from), and the boring routine of taking family pictures of each family unit. The whole afternoon and evening I spent time catching up with aunts and uncles and cousins. Lots of fun and sharing of memories.
Thankful for family, and the roots of my past.
That evening Mom and I took a walk to the farm, a familiar country road that takes a u-turn, crossing the bridge where I used to catch the bus.
Friday morning my brother, Bob, and I had breakfast up the road at the Farmer's Wife Restaurant. That night I had a great visit with my niece, Staci, at a local coffeehouse, MJ's, adjoining an old movie theater - one of the few single screen theaters left in central PA - in the neighboring town of Annville.
On Saturday my oldest brother and his wife invited me to go with them to the Bellegrove Fire Co. Carnival. Images came to mind of my Papa running the ring-toss booth and my Uncle Basil - fire chief at the time - calling out the numbers for Bingo. The June Saturday night carnivals have been going on since 1951, and I loved to go to them as a young girl and as a teenager. My cousin, Nats, and I would "work" for my Aunt Caroline in June, saving up our hard earned quarters to spend at the carnival.
One of the reason I went home was for the annual Patteson picnic, a gathering of my mom's side of the family. There were 74 of us. It was the first time in years that all 14 cousins were at the picnic. As the cameras were clicking we were all remembering family reunions in Virginia (where my mom's family comes from), and the boring routine of taking family pictures of each family unit. The whole afternoon and evening I spent time catching up with aunts and uncles and cousins. Lots of fun and sharing of memories.
Thankful for family, and the roots of my past.
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| Cousins |
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| My Mom (right) with her sister and brothers |
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| Dad & Mom |
2 comments:
So glad you were able to go to PA, sounds like such a wonderful time. So fun to read about your memories too.
Love the pictures and the stories Mom!
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